With cocktail culture booming in the United States, there is certainly no shortage of Speakeasies and high-end mixology bars in New York City, but what some of the best ones have in common is a revolutionary new Un-Aged Whiskey called Manhattan Moonshine, which is rapidly emerging as a number one choice for the discerning drinkers of New York. Inspired by the cocktail renaissance that occurred during American Prohibition and the glamorous yet subversive nightlife that accompanied it, Manhattan Moonshine is the world’s first luxury Un-aged Whiskey and has been developed to be the perfect Whiskey for cocktails.

As mixologists continue to push the envelope with wilder cocktail ingredients and combinations and as more and more consumers begin to explore Whiskey, a need has arisen for an approachable, versatile Whiskey. Enter Manhattan Moonshine, an un-aged whiskey that delivers Whiskey’s naturally sweet, grain forward flavor to an ever expanding array of cocktails. Since it is not aged in barrels, Manhattan Moonshine has none of the heavier barrel flavors like Oak and Smoke that make Aged Whiskeys less approachable and harder to mix. This means that it can be used in an almost endless variety of cocktails, using flavors and ingredients that no Aged Whiskey can mix with. These range from traditional ingredients such as grapefruit juice or tonic water to more exotic ingredients such as lavender, black walnut peel, or saffron.

This versatility is on display at cocktail havens such as Bar Cyrk in Tribeca, Botanic Lab on the Lower East Side, and OTTO in Greenwich Village. Each venue offers Manhattan Moonshine based cocktails that feature ingredients such as Matcha Green Tea, Lambrusco (Sparkling Red Wine), and Fernet Branca, much to the delight of the Whiskey lovers and cocktail enthusiasts alike. It is not just experimental cocktail bars that love Manhattan Moonshine however, storied institutions such as the Harvard Club and the Montauk Yacht Club also serve this un-aged whiskey. These establishments are finding that something as simple as a Manhattan Moonshine and tonic is a welcome twist on a classic order and a great way for them to give their guests something familiar but memorable.

A popular misconception is that moonshine is cheaply made, harsh tasting and made in the backwoods has led people to believe that it cannot be considered a premium spirit. It is this misconception that gave birth to modern day “moonshines” packaged in mason jars or faux-jug-style bottles. In actuality, much of the moonshine that was produced during Prohibition, the high water mark of moonshine production, was produced by sophisticated distilleries that operated in secret, and what they produced flowed into high-class Speakeasies across the country. Now that moonshine is being produced legally, moonshine has come to refer to any Un-aged Whiskey. As for taste and quality, moonshine, like any other liquor, reflects the quality and craftsmanship that went into it.

In the case of Manhattan Moonshine, the quality of craftsmanship is paramount. Whereas other moonshines are made by following traditional Aged-Whiskey or Bourbon recipes and excluding the final step of barrel aging, the recipe for Manhattan Moonshine was developed from the outset to create an Un-Aged Whiskey. The formula was carefully created during a year of experimentation by Manhattan Moonshine Founder and CEO, William Kehler, and Master Distiller and author, Ian Smiley, who literally wrote the book on moonshine. The result of this work is a unique grain bill featuring a combination of Oats, Rye, Spelt (an ancestral form of wheat) and Malted Barley, and a unique production process. With its unique grain bill and production process, Manhattan Moonshine is able to deliver a smooth, grain-forward, Whiskey flavor that no other Un-Aged Whiskey is able to create, and the versatility that this creates is what has enabled it to quickly become a serious player in the New York cocktail scene.

Manhattan Moonshine launched in late last year in its unmistakable 750 ml Art Deco decanter, at an MSRP of $49.99.

About Manhattan Moonshine:

Manhattan Moonshine is the world’s first luxury Un-Aged Whiskey and has been designed to be the perfect Whiskey for cocktails. The Manhattan Moonshine Company, LLC was established in 2013 by William Kehler to create the greatest Un-Aged Whiskey ever made and to use it to establish Un-Aged Whiskey as a legitimate expression of Whiskey that is competitive with Aged-Whiskey in flavor, quality, and class. Using a unique grain bill featuring a combination of Oats, Rye, Spelt (an ancestral form of wheat) and Malted Barley, and a unique production process, Manhattan Moonshine is able to deliver a smooth, grain-forward, Whiskey flavor that no other Un-Aged Whiskey is able to create. William is a New York City native and Whiskey enthusiast who is fascinated by the Prohibition era, Art Deco design and the Jazz age. William collaborated for over a year with whiskey expert, Ian Smiley to create the unique formulation.

Now celebrating its 10th Anniversary year, Philippe New York is still the go-to destination for Beijing-style cuisine. With a unique menu crafted by industry veteran Philippe Chow himself, and a stylish décor that creates an intimate and romantic environment for diners, Philippe New York offers an upscale dining experience unlike any other.

The restaurant’s front bar has been revamped with a new stylish look, making it the perfect spot to gather with friends for a drink or a great place to start your meal before being guided to your table by one of Philippe’s friendly staff members. Philippe has remained a crowd pleaser since it opened in 2005, attracting a steady stream of A-list guests and elite clientele, and winning culinary accolades including, “Best Peking Duck”.

Executive Chef Chow, who was trained in his native Hong Kong and has 30 years of experience at some of the most sought-after kitchens in the world, presents a creative menu that captures the subtlety and surprises of traditional Chinese cooking. At Philippe, all signature dishes are served in generous “family style” portion, perfect for sharing with groups, which creates a fun and lively dining experience.

Not-to-be-missed dishes include the famed Chicken Satay, which is prepared in Chef Philippe’s famous cream sauce, perfectly glazed Roasted Peking Duck, served with housemade pancakes, Green Prawns, and Filet Mignon and Broccoli. Light and healthy options are never hard to find on the Philippe menu, from the Spa Chicken & Mixed Green Salad to the Steamed Whole Fish of the Day.

Set over three floors, the expansive restaurant has an air of exoticness and opulence, with a signature color palette of black, white and red. Candlelight casts a dim glow over the dining room’s dark wood features and plush banquettes. The six distinct private dining rooms and wine cellar provide for a more intimate setting for private events and group dining.

**Philippe is excited to announce a brand new website has launched! The beautiful new user-friendly website will give up-to-date information on menus and events. The website has been beautifully designed by J Wright Design, food photography by Lucas Zarebinski, and food styling by Victoria Granof.

Philippe Chow New York Celebrates its 10th Anniversary and Reveals Stylishly-Designed New Bar June 18th, 2015user

THE MOMS,Denise Albert and Melissa Musen Gerstein, hosted a Mamarazzi® Lunch Event with Television Producer, Host and celebrity parent Melissa Rivers on Wednesday, May 13th, 2015 at Juniper Bar in New York City. The event brought together influential moms and media to celebrate Melissa’s new book, The Book of Joan:Tales of Mirth, Mischief, And Manipulation, offering a behind the scenes look at one of the most celebrated mother-daughter relationships.

Guests at the event, hosted in conjunction with Chevy Tri-State, were treated to a sampling of delicious menu items from the newly-opened Juniper Bar in the exclusive downstairs VIP lounge.

Guests gathered around as Melissa Rivers discussed life growing up and her deep, personal bond with her mother, larger-than-life Comedian the late Joan Rivers – the subject of her new book The Book of Joan. She told the captive audience that, “Our mother-daughter relationship was so real. Everyone saw a bit of themselves in our relationship.”

She shared anecdotes of unique moments with her mother, including when immediately after her son Cooper was born, her mother took off and ran away with him quipping, “He was her favorite accessory.”

After the documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work came out in 2010, the world became aware of how hard Joan worked in her day-to-day life, with rarely a day taken off. Melissa told the audience that she thought her mom’s work ethic was something normal until around 7 years ago, when she told her mom she was tired. It took reassurance from Joan and a step back to realize that her mother was no ordinary workaholic and had energy unlike any other person she knew.

Melissa, like her mother, has worked incredibly hard to achieve success in the entertainment industry. In fact, she found that to succeed in the entertainment industry as the daughter of a famous parent, she has had to work extremely hard to reach the point where she is today.

“You may get the interview, but you may not get the job. If you get the job, you have to work ten times harder to prove yourself because people are going to think you got the job because of who you know,” she said.

During the Mamarazzi town-hall, Denise Albert’s mother stood up and told the audience about one time when she was in the waiting room at the pediatrician’s office when Denise and her brother were kids and in ran Joan carrying infant Melissa wearing a bathrobe.

To conclude, Melissa told the crowd gathered that her mother imparted an important saying that will stick with her forever. “She always said that this too shall pass. When things are good and bad, appreciate it or know you’re going to get through it because it doesn’t last.”

ABOUT THE MOMS: www.themoms.comDenise Albert and Melissa Musen Gerstein, THE MOMS, are co-creators of a multi-platform lifestyle brand featured on TV, online, in print, in taxicabs and now on radio nationwide. The MOMS are hosts of the SiriusXM radio Stars program The MOMS with Denise & Melissa. Albert and Gerstein have turned motherhood into a platform that reaches millions of parents each year. The MOMS created a town hall event series that they moderate called Mamarazzi® where they provide influential moms and media with access to celebrities to discuss issues surrounding parenting. Recent Mamarazzi events have included celebrity guests Sarah Jessica Parker, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Garner, Kevin James, Elizabeth Banks, Tina Fey, Hugh Jackman and Pitbull. THE MOMS regularly partner with film distributors, book publishers and celebrity publicists to present engaging and informative conversations around topics important to parents year round. They have also been spokespersons for Netflix family programming. Albert and Musen Gerstein have presented their fashion show for moms during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week three times called Strut, The Fashionable Mom Show, which they co-founded and showcases a wide range of apparel for real moms. It’s the first runway show where the models are all moms – in all shapes and sizes – featuring affordable and fashionable options for a diverse audience. All mom models walk to raise awareness for their favorite cause. From 2010-2011, The MOMS created and hosted a half-hour TV show with NBC called Moms & the City and A Dad Named David. The MOMS are regular contributors to The Huffington Post Parents and Denise to Huffington Post Divorce and have appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America and Fox News Channel among many others. Albert is an “independent” mom (don’t call her a “single mom”) to two boys and Gerstein is happily married and a mom of three.

ABOUT THE BOOK OF JOAN: www.melissarivers.com/the-book-of-joan/Joan Rivers was known all over the world—from the Palace Theater to Buckingham Palace, from the bright lights of Las Vegas to the footlights of Broadway, from the days of talkies to hosting talk shows. But there was only one person who knew Joan intimately, one person who the authorities would call when she got a little out of hand. Her daughter and best friend, Melissa. Joan and Melissa Rivers had one of the most celebrated mother-daughter relationships of all time. If you think Joan said some outrageous things to her audiences as a comedian, you won’t believe what she said and did in private. Her love for her daughter knew no bounds—or boundaries, apparently. (“Melissa, I acknowledge that you have boundaries. I just choose to not respect them.”) In The Book of Joan: Tales of Mirth, Mischief and Manipulation, Melissa shares stories (like when she was nine months old and her parents delivered her to Johnny Carson as a birthday gift), bon mots (“Missy, is there anything better than seeing a really good looking couple pushing a baby that looks like a Sasquatch who got caught in a house fire?”), and life lessons from growing up in the Rosenberg-Rivers household (“I can do tips and discounts and figure out the number of gay men in an audience to make it a good show. That’s all the math you’ll ever need.”). These were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to life in the family that Melissa describes as more Addams than Cleaver. And at the center of it all was a tiny blond force of nature. In The Book of Joan: Tales of Mirth, Mischief and Manipulation, Melissa Rivers relates funny, poignant and irreverent observations, thoughts, and tales about the woman who raised her and is the reason she considers valium one of the four basic food groups.

ABOUT JUNIPER BAR: www.juniperbarnyc.comJuniper Bar is a sophisticated, multi-leveled restaurant, bar and entertainment space in New York’s Midtown West, just steps away from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. Home to an expansive main level bar area, intimate 30-seat dining area, and classy event and lounge room, Juniper Bar is perfectly configured to become the hottest new neighborhood local. Named after the bright blue Juniper berry, which is known for its piney flavor and use in flavoring gin, the space has been stylishly designed with a color palate of teals, greys, and bursts of orange.

Juniper is the latest upscale bar and restaurant to descend upon New York’s Midtown West. Located at 237 West 35th Street, this sophisticated, multi-leveled restaurant, bar and entertainment space from New York restaurateur Tom Murphy has now officially launched. Home to an expansive main level bar area, intimate 30-seat dining area, and classy event room, Juniper Bar is perfectly configured to become the hottest new neighborhood local. Just steps away from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, Juniper is a fun and lively setting for casual small bites, post-work catchups, or delicious pre-theater dinners.

Stepping inside this newly minted establishment, with its vibrant, rustic-elegant décor, you know you have arrived at a very special destination. Named after a bright blue berry, which is known for its piney flavor and use in flavoring gin, Juniper has a stylish color palate of teals, greys, and bursts of orange. Large, custom-designed lamps hang from the hand-painted patterned ceiling, adding texture and decoration to the room, and beams made from reclaimed wood bring an earthy vibe to the space.

Approachable and decidedly unpretentious, the hive of activity at Juniper can be seen through large front windows which draws in passersby’s and will become alfresco from spring. All-day light spills over the attractive front space, with vintage high-top bar stools and small tables provide for casual dining. The main bar area, featuring a deluxe 48ft stone “smart bar” with USB charging stations for cell phones and tablets, is situated beside a dancefloor and elevated DJ booth, which leads through to a 30-seat dining room lending itself to a more intimate environment. With large TV screens providing unobstructed views, Juniper is a sophisticated place to game-watch with friends. Downstairs, Juniper’s chic entertainment space offers the option to fully customize both food and beverage packages to ensure guests are presented with a unique and exciting event. The space has been cleverly designed with black banquettes, mirrors reflecting marble top cocktail tables and white chandeliers, giving it a low-key, sexy lounge vibe.

Juniper boasts a generous menu of delicious wraps, sandwiches and gourmet burgers that go perfectly with one of their numerous draft and bottle beer offerings or a selection from their wine bar. The Lobster Club with thin cut Applewood smoked bacon and lemon aioli is quite simply delectable, and the Burger Menu features specialties like the spicy Fire Breathing Burger and theThai Style with avocado, papaya, watercress, spicy chili glaze, and goat cheese ginger mayo. Other items on the menu are Mexican-meets-Bistro, tapas style appetizers. You’ll find fresh Maine Lobster Tacos, Cheese Steak Spring Rolls with aged provolone, and for the more health conscious there are lighter options including Edamame Hummus or Kale Artichoke Dip served with oregano pita chips. On the Entrée list you’ll find supremely well-executed classics such as the Filet of Salmon wrapped with thin cut potatoes, wood sorrel, and balsamic gastrique, or Bourbon Steakwith 14 oz N.Y. Strip, sweet potato mash and bourbon jus.

Juniper’s inspiring cocktail list features creative combinations such as the Blueberry Lemon Gin & Tonicwith fresh blueberries, mint, lemon and St. George Gin, and the Pomegranate Cranberry Cosmowith Tito’s Vodka, St. Germaine Elderflower, cranberry and pomegranate juice. Juniper could be mistaken for a downtown beer-nerd haunt with 15 Drafts on offer, including a number of crafts and organic options, and 16 bottles. Happy Hour at Juniper is sure to please Midtown West’s after-work revelers, with Prosecco, cabernet and sauvignon blanc, house-infused Juniper Rosemary Gin & tonic and Ithaca Flower Power IPA all on offer for only $6 every weekday from 4:00-7:00pm.

The Super Bowl is an experience which anyone can enjoy – not just NFL fans, and what better place to do so than at Latitude Bar and Grill’sSuper Bowl Party. Latitude is a fun and lively spot to enjoy all the game-day revelry – it might just be one of the hottest places in New York to soak up all the energy and excitement.

Midtown West’s Latitude Bar and Grill is a dynamic entertainment space with 20 large screen TVs ensuring a panoramic view with not a moment of the action out of sight. There will be a 3-hour premium open bar, passed hors d’Oeuvres and buffet dinner on the expansive second floor which is also home to a beautiful billiards room where friends can square up against one another after the game.

“Coco Pazzo” is a playful way to say “crazy chef” in Italian. And owner Jack Weiss must have felt inspired when he first cooked up the idea for the now-iconic Chicago restaurant, because 22 years later, Coco Pazzo still proudly boasts the reputation as one of the best and, subsequently, most enduring dining establishments in town.

Over all those years, Jack has come to realize that there is one very special secret ingredient in the recipe for Coco Pazzo’s phenomenal success – authenticity.

“It’s the real deal,” Jack says of Coco Pazzo. “Authentic Tuscan. It always was, right from the very beginning. I don’t think I understood myself just how important authenticity was until I noticed it gradually becoming harder and harder to find at most restaurants. And now I appreciate what a rare and valuable commodity authenticity is – especially in a city like Chicago where it seems like a new restaurant opens every day.”

Authenticity has been a strict mainstay of every item on the quality menu that’s the hallmark of Coco Pazzo’s unrivaled reputation as one of the finest restaurants not only in Chicago, but the entire United States.

And what greater compliment could a genuine Tuscan restaurant receive than an official salute from the Italian government itself, which bestowed Coco Pazzo with the Italian Seal of Approval based on authenticity.

“That’s was quite an honor,” says Jack. “It made me feel very proud to be rewarded for staying true to tradition.”

Coco Pazzo has received numerous other honors, including the AAA Four Diamond Award, the DiRona Award (Distinguished Restaurants of North America), multiple Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence, and the Wine Enthusiast Award of Distinction. Coco Pazzo is also listed among America’s 1,000 Top Italian Restaurants by Zagat.

Jack and Chef Federico Comacchio create classic, seasonal, Tuscan-inspired menus full of fresh pasta, sauces, seafood and meat based on what they find at the market each day – true to the tradition of the Tuscan region, which is known for its freshness of signature ingredients like olive oil, herbs, wild mushrooms and seasonal vegetables.

Going to Coco Pazzo is almost like being in Tuscany itself. It opened in 1995 in Chicago’s busting Streeterville neighborhood. Inspired by the cafés that line the piazzas in Florence.

The decor is dramatic, yet intimate, with soaring ceilings, velvet drapes and an antique bar. An impressive table of antipasto welcomes diners upon their entrance, and it presents an award-winning, all-Italian wine list with more than 100 selections personally chosen by Jack’s wife Tamra – the other half of one of America’s most impressive “mom and pop” operations.

“Jack and I have always been committed to authenticity,” says Tamra. “Right down to the wine.”

Coco Pazzo has always been a consistent favorite of politicians, business professionals, and celebrities and families, who can get a taste of Tuscany both indoors and outdoors. Because in the summertime, Coco Pazzo Café doubles in size when it opens its al fresco patio, where the restaurant is transformed into the best outdoor dining experience in Chicago.

The fresco-style murals hung on the walls of Coco Pazzo Café were inspired by the famous Italian artist, Amadeo Modigliani. The murals, which were painted on canvas and took six months to complete, are cleaned and restored every year.

And if the Coco Pazzo family wasn’t already big enough, it now has a new companion. It is also genuine Italian, except with a slightly different accent. Tre Soldi, which Jack opened last year, is a neighborhood Trattoria with Roman-inspired cuisine, featuring offering items such as Suppli (Roman cheese filled rice balls), the signature Calamari, and a variety of crostinis and paninetti (warm pressed sandwiches), seasonal cocktails like the refreshing Roman Spritz and a regional wine and cocktail list, all overseen by Jack, Tamra and Chef Jose Ovalle.

And Jack Weiss is confident Tre Soldi will still be thriving in another 20 years just like Coco Pazzo.